a. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to electrical power supply, and more particularly to a system for conserving electrical energy consumption in commercial, industrial, residential, or other energy consumption settings. The present invention system conserves electrical energy consumption with control devices at or near incoming power breakers to increase efficiency relating to loads, distortions, spikes and/or power factors, as well as other deviant characteristics. In addition, this present invention system with a three component iterative transformer that includes three cores and three interconnected windings, improves response time and results in more energy savings than the prior art electric power supply energy saving systems, including those previously developed by the present inventor.
In a typical electrical power consumption setting, electricity is transmitted via power lines or transmission lines to a facility, such as a factory, office, home, etc. The main electrical line is typically connected to a power meter, which in turn is connected to a main breaker box of the facility via a main line. Electricity is distributed to various loads of the facility through various individual circuit breakers in the main breaker box.
In general, and particularly in industrial settings, electrical loads, such as non-linear loads, including DC motors, create harmonic distortions, electrical spikes, and poor power factor, which have negative impact on efficiency and the condition of the load itself (e.g., overheating and reduced motor life). Other internal and external physical conditions also contribute to these and other deviant (inefficient) characteristics that adversely affect electrical consumption. Thus, the present invention is a system for reducing electrical consumption that includes one or more devices that recognize electromagnetic interference with means to suppress line transient voltage surges, means to regulate harmonics distortion, means to enhance power factor correction and means to maintain phase regulation by maintaining phase relationship between voltage and current at times of increased power demands, using newly discovered arrangements of components to achieve these results.
b. Description of Related Art
The following patents are representative of systems and devices for conservation of electric consumption:
U.S. Pat. No. 4,163,218 relates to an electronic control system for controlling the operation of a plurality of electrical devices which are energized from AC power lines which includes a single, central unit connected to the power lines, which further includes a central transceiver means for transmitting an encoded oscillating signal of one frequency onto the power lines, a central encoding means for encoding means for encoding the oscillating signal with an encoded signal in synchronization with the frequency of the AC power for selective control of electrical devices, and a central control means connected to the encoding means for selecting the electrical device to be controlled and its desired state. The invention further includes unitary switch units respectively interconnected between power lines and each electrical device being operative for both local and centralized control of the electrical device with the local control and the centralized control placing the electrical device in respective opposite states from each other, each switch unit including a switch transceiver means for receiving the encoded oscillating signal from the power lines, a switch decoding means coupled to the switch transceiver means for detecting the encoded signal, a switch control means connected to the switch decoding means for setting the selected electrical device to the desired state, and a local control means for selectively locally operating the electrical device independently of the central unit and placing the electrical device in a state opposite from that which it was placed by the central unit.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,845,580 describes a spike elimination circuit for A.C. and D.C. power sources which comprises two gas tubes and/or two semiconductor voltage limiting devices before a Bandpass Filter. The Bandpass Filter consists of 2 capacitors to ground and inductor in series with the line. The spike eliminator can be portable, mobile, or hard wired for the protection of home controls and electronics, telecommunications, commercial and industrial controls and the computer field and others.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,870,528 describes a surge suppressor which comprises a first series circuit having a first inductance and a first alternating voltage limiter, including at least a first capacitance and a bidirectionally conductive rectifying circuit for charging the first capacitance, coupled between first and second input terminals for limiting surge currents and voltage excursions coupled to first and second load output terminals. The first alternation voltage limiter further comprises a sensing circuit for sensing at least one of the charging current supplied to the voltage developed across the first capacitance. An auxiliary energy storage circuit and a normally open switching device responsive to the sensing circuit are provided for coupling the auxiliary energy storage circuit across the first capacitance during high energy surge conditions.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,105,327 describes a power conditioner for AC power lines which has a choke and capacitor coupled in series across the power lines. The choke comprises a coil termination in a line, with the line looped back through the coil. The power lines are thereby balanced to provide greater operating efficiency. Capacitors and transient suppressors (e.g. varistors) are used for transient suppression and power factor correction.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,420,741 relates to an arrangement for obtaining flux rate information in a magnetic circuit including passive means connected across a flux rate sensor for implementing control of said flux rate. The passive means being a tuned magnetic flux rate feedback sensing and control arrangement wherein impedance is tuned and the energy loss characteristic is adjustable. The selection of inductance and capacitance values provides tuning and the selection of resistance affects the energy loss characteristics.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,432,710 is directed to an energy supply system for supplying, in system interconnection, power at a power receiving equipment from a power plant and power generated by a fuel cell to a power consuming installation, and supplying heat generated by the fuel cell to a heat consuming installation. This system includes an operation amount computing device for computing an amount of operation of the fuel cell to minimize an equation y−aXL+bXM+cXN, in response to an energy demand of the power consuming installation and heat consuming installation A control device controls the fuel cell to satisfy the amount of the operation computed. The system supplies energy in optimal conditions with respect to the cost borne by an energy consumer, consumption of primary energy and release of environmental pollutants. Energy is effectively used from the standpoint of the energy consumer and a national point of view.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,436,513 relates to an information handling system which is described as having a power supply and having a switching circuit that switches a plurality of energy sources between series and parallel couplings. Associated with the switching circuit is a voltage level detecting circuit for monitoring the voltage level of the energy sources. A processor for controlling the information handling system responds to the voltage level detecting circuit and in the event of a low voltage condition the processor activates the switching circuit to switch the energy sources and from a series to a parallel coupling. Alternatively, the processor responds to other inputs or conditions for actuating the switching circuit.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,459,459 is directed to an algorithm for implementation in a meter register and a reading device. In the one embodiment, the invention enables selecting a display table to be read from the register, updating the billing read date and time in the register, reversing the order in which load profile data is transmitted from the register to the reader, specifying the number of load profile intervals to be read from the register and specifying the number of intervals to skip when reading from the register.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,462,225 relates to an apparatus and method for controlling energy supplied to a space conditioning load and for overriding a load control operation in response to measuring certain space temperatures within a closed environment. The load control apparatus includes a control device connected to an electrical distribution network and to a space/conditioning load and a temperature sensing device connected to the control device. The control device conducts a load shedding operation to control distribution of electrical energy to the space conditioning load in response to command signals supplied by a remote command center. The temperature sensing device operates to override the load shedding operation by outputting a control overriding signal to the control device tin response to sensing certain space temperatures within the closed environment. If the temperature control device is connected to an air conditioning system the temperature sensing device causes the control device to terminate the load shedding operation prior to expiration of a selected time period in response to measuring a space temperature that exceeds a maximum space temperature limit. In contrast, if the temperature control device is connected to a forced air beating system, the temperature sensing device causes the control device to terminate the load shedding operation when a measured space temperature drops below a minimum space temperature limit the maximum space temperature limit is greater than the control temperature setpoint of a thermostat that controls the space conditioning operations, whereas the minimum space temperature limit is less than the control temperature setpoint.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,483,672 relates to a communication system, where a communication unit may conserve source energy when it is inactive in the following manner. The control channel is partitioned into a predetermined number of windows and a system window which are transmitted on the control channel in a round robin manner. When the communication unit registers with the communication system, it is assigned to a window group. The communication unit then monitors only the system window to determine whether the window group that it's been assigned to is also assigned to one of the predetermined number of windows. When the window that has been assigned to the window group is being transmitted to the control channel the communication unit activates to monitor that window. Once the window is no longer being transmitted, the communication unit deactivates unit the system window is being transmitted or the window assigned to the window group is being transmitted.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,495,129 relates to an electronic device for multiplexing several loads to the terminals of a source of alternating electrical energy. The source of alternating electrical energy is coupled by electromagnetic flux to the loads by using primary excitation windings and connects to the terminals of the source of alternating electrical energy and secondary windings respectively corresponding to the number of loads. The secondary windings are at least partially coupled to the primary winding and are each connected to the terminals of a load. The coupling is inhibited by auxiliary winding which are each totally coupled with the secondary winding. The inhibition function is controlled in order to inhibit all the magnetic couplings except for one and this particular one changes as a function of the respective loads to be coupled to the source of alternating electrical energy.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,512,831 relates to a system for testing electrochemical energy conversion and storage devices includes means for sensing the current from the storage device and varying the load across the storage device in response to the current sensed. The system is equally adaptable to batteries and fuel cells. Means is also provided to sense system. Certain parameters are then stored in digital form for archive purposes and certain other parameters are used to develop control signals in a host processor.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,517,188 is directed to a programmable identification apparatus, and associated method, includes a transceiver and a transponder. The transponder is powered by the energy of a transceiver transmit signal generated by the transceiver and includes a programmable memory element. A coded sequence which uniquely identifies the transponder is stored in the programmable memory element and, when transponder is powered, the transponder generates a transponder signal which includes the coded sequence stored in the programmable memory element, once modulated by circuitry of the transponder.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,528,123 measures the total line current in a power cord which is used to energize both a power factor corrected system and a non-power factor corrected AC loads. The power factor control loop of the power factor corrected system is then driven to correct the power factor of total line current in the power cord ideally to approach unity.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,640,314 relates to a symmetrical ac power system which provides a balanced ac output, whose maximum voltage with respect to a reference ground potential is one-half the ac output voltage, and which is derived from a single phase ac source through the use of an isolation transformer having a center-tapped secondary winding. The center tap is connected to the output power load circuit as a ground reference potential with respect to the symmetrical ac output so as to constitute the reference ground potential for the power supply and load. Since symmetrical ac power is applied to the load by the system, reactive load currents, other power artifacts, EMI and RFI emissions and other interference and noise components ordinarily resulting from the application of conventional ac power to the load are reduced or eliminated by appearing as equal inversely phased signal elements which cancel one another. In order to maximize the performance of the symmetrical power system, the isolation transformer has a bifilar-wound secondary winding.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,646,458 describes a UPS (uninterruptible power system) which includes an UPS power conditioning unit that provides conditioned AC power to a critical load. The UPS power conditioning unit includes a variable speed drive that operates in response to AC utility power or to a standby DC input by providing a motor drive signal. The UPS power conditioning unit further includes a motor-generator that operates in response to the motor drive output by providing the conditioned AC power to the critical load. In response to an outage in the utility AC power, standby DC power is provided by a standby DC power source that includes a variable speed drive and a flywheel motor-generator connected to the variable speed drive. Both the UPS power conditioning unit and the standby DC power source are initially operated in response to the utility AC power, the flywheel motor-generator storing kinetic energy in a rotating flywheel. When an outage occurs, the rotating flywheel continues to operate the flywheel motor-generator of the standby DC power source, causing the production of AC power which is rectified and provided as standby DC power to operate the variable speed drive of the UPS power conditioning unit either the utility AC power outage is over or a standby emergency generator is brought on line.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,880,677 relates to a system that monitors and controls electrical power consumption that will be retrofitted to a typical consumer electrical power arrangement (typical arrangement-electrical feed line from a provider, a meter, a circuit breaker and individual input wiring to a plurality of electrical devices, appliances and outlets). The system includes a control unit which receives information from an electromagnetic pickup device from which real time electrical consumption is determined over very short periods of time. The control unit has a main data processing and storage processor for retaining information and it may include a communication microprocessor for sending signals to corresponding modules. The electromagnetic pickup device uniquely measures the electromagnetic flux emanating at each output wire from each of the individual circuit breakers in a breaker box. The modules have filters which release electrical power to the individual electrical devices, appliances and outlets at a controlled, economic rate.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,892,667 describes a symmetrical as power system which provides a balanced ac output, whose maximum voltage with respect to a reference ground potential is one-half the ac output voltage, and which is derived from a single phase ac source through the use of an isolation transformer having a center-tapped secondary winding. The center tapped is connected to the output power load circuit as a ground reference potential with respect to the symmetrical ac output so as to constitute the reference ground potential for the power supply and load. Since symmetrical ac power is applied to the load by the system, reactive load currents, other power artifacts, EMI and RFI emissions and other interference ad noise components ordinarily resulting from the application of conventional ac power to the load are reduced or eliminated by appearing as equal inversely phased signal elements which cancel one another. In order to maximize the performance of the symmetrical power system, the isolation transformer has a bifilar-wound secondary winding.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,009,004 discloses a new single-phase passive harmonic filter for one or more nonlinear loads. The filter improves the total system performance by drastically reducing the line side current harmonics generated by non-linear loads. The filter includes two inductive portions across one of which is connected a tuning capacitor. The parallel combination of one inductive portion which the tuning capacitor forms a series tuned filter configuration while the second inductive portion is used for harmonic attenuation. A shunt capacitor is employed for shunting higher order harmonic components. A single-phase passive voltage regulator provides the needed voltage bucking to prevent over voltage at the load terminals of the filter. The filter provides an alternate path for the harmonic current generated by non-linear loads. The over voltage caused by the increased capacitive reactance is controlled by either capacitor switching or by the use of the passive voltage regulator or a combination of the two. Capacitor switching is dependent upon load conditions.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,014,017 describes a method and an apparatus for power factor correction for a non-ideal load, which is supplied for a main power supply, by a compensation device which is electrically connected in parallel with the load and has a pulse converter with at least one capacitive store. A transfer function space vector is calculated as a function of a determined mains power supply voltage space vector, a mains power supply current space vector, a compensator current space vector and of an intermediate circuit voltage which is present on the capacitive store. As a result of which the pulse converter generates a compensator voltage space vector on the main power supply side as a function of the intermediate circuit voltage. A compensator current space vector, that keeps the undesirable reactive current elements away from the mains power supply, is thus obtained via a coupling filter that is represented as a compensator inductance.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,058,035 describes a method wherein after starting the input of a switching signal to a booster circuit whose boosting rate is changeable in accordance with the duty ratio of the inputted switching signal and calculating the output power of an inventor circuit, which is connected to the subsequent stage of the booster circuit, from the output current of the inverter circuit, the target voltage after boosting by the booster circuit is obtained based on the output power. If the actual output voltage of the booster circuit is lower than the target voltage, the duty ratio of the above switching signal is increased, and if higher, the duty ratio of the above switching signal is decreased.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,384,583 B1 is a system including, in-parallel connection to an incoming power supply of a facility including a hot line and a neutral line, and at least one ground. There are components connected between the hot line and the neutral line in the order of front metal oxide varistors; line transient voltage surge suppressor having to suppress undesired power spikes; at least one capacitor of predetermined capacitance; at least two dual chokes in the form of inductor/metal oxide varistor transformers; at least a second capacitor of its own predetermined capacitance; metal oxide varistors having a predetermined capability. In preferred embodiments, the metal oxide varistor may be a plurality of varistors in parallel; a failure indicator circuit connected to the transient voltage surge suppressor, including at least one relay, one voltage-surge responsive switch and one indicator signaling component.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,448,747 B1 is an electricity pod controller device that includes in-parallel connection to an incoming power supply of a facility including a hot line and a neutral line, and at least one round. There are components connected between the hot line and the neutral line. At least one front metal oxide varistor line transient voltage surge suppressor has a predetermined capability to suppress undesired power spikes and at least one capacitor of predetermined capacitance is also included. At least two dual chokes in the form of inductor/metal oxide varistor transformers, a second capacitor of its own predetermined capacitance and at least one metal oxide varistor having a predetermined capability. In preferred embodiments, the metal oxide varistor may be a plurality of varistors in parallel.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,573,253 B2 to Lestician describes a system for managing electrical consumption that includes a connecting means for connection to an incoming power supply of a facility, for connection in parallel, including a hot line and a neutral line, and at least one ground. The following components are connected between the hot line and the neutral line. They are connected in the order of at least one front capacitor of predetermined capacitance, at least one front arc suppressor, at least one front metal oxide varistor line transient voltage surge suppressor having a predetermined number of joules capability to suppress undesired power spikes, at least two inductor/metal oxide varistor iterative transformers, at least a second capacitor of its own predetermined capacitance, at least one metal oxide varistor having a predetermined number of joules capability and at least two capacitors, each having its own predetermined capacitance different form one another.
Notwithstanding the prior art, the present invention is neither taught nor rendered obvious thereby.